New York Times bestselling author. Slow cooking expert.

Just in case you ever need to cook a whole bunch of hot dogs at one time you totally, totally can. I have done the crockpot hotdog math for you. :-0

Guess what? You can fit 60 hot dogs in a 6-quart slow cooker. This is kind of big news if you happen to be:

planning an end-of-the-year swim party for the 5th grade graduating class

planning a block party potluck and know that kids really don't want to eat 75 different types of salad

manning the Little League concession booth

trying to beat the world's record in hot dog eating

interested in testing out your cholesterol medication

The Ingredients.

A crap load (technical term) of hot dogs (60, to be exact, although you can wimp out and do fewer, if necessary)

Hot dog buns

Fixens'

6-quart slow cooker

An outlet

The Directions.

How to Cook Hot Dogs in A Crock Pot

Unwrap all the hot dogs and throw the wrappers in a plastic bag and then immediately take out the garbage because if the kittens knock over the garbage can and hot dog juice gets all over the kitchen floor you're going to get annoyed and then have to mop unless you just wipe it up with a baby wipe and pretend the cats didn't really lick your floor.

Stand hotdogs on end if you're trying to cram in 60. If not, you can just dump them in.

There's no need to add water.

This is for two reasons: 1, the hotdogs will release moisture all on their own,

and 2, if you have a crockpot full of hot dog water it'll just be kind of gross to dig through the water to pick them out.

and 3 (I lied, there are 3 reasons) if the hotdogs hang out in hot water for too long they'll end up splitting on you.

How to Serve Hot Dogs

Cover, and cook on low for 4 hours, or on high for about 2 hours--check to make sure the ones in the middle are fully hot before serving.

Serve with tongs into hot dog buns and top with desired fixens' for your party.

Your dogs can stay on the "warm" setting for an awfully long time.

If your pot has a hot spot (mine does), the hot dogs on the edge will get kind of crispy and blackened, which will COMPLETELY fool your 10-year-old into thinking you learned how to barbecue.

The Verdict.

If you eat too many hotdogs in a day because you don't want to waste them you'll be really really thirsty for the next three days.

Also? 6 hotdogs in two days is too much for a 2-year-old.

Don't do that.

and? it's kind of fun to call your neighbors and have them over for spur-of-the moment hot dog party and it's even cooler that when you call to squeal that 60 hotdogs can totally fit in a 6-quart slow cooker they know what you mean and highfive you through the phone.

Adam says these crockpot dogs remind him of the hot dogs from 7-11 or the movies where they cook on the roller bars--they aren't boiled, aren't barbecued, but hot.

And hot dogs are fully cooked anyway in the package, so all you're doing is heating them through.

I've been crocking my dogs for years. I tried it when I had my (now 14 year old) daughter's first birthday party, and needed something for the little's and the picky's to eat. We do chili and dogs for our neighbors every halloween as well, and it's always crock dogs.

ok so i never comment on these things. and i probably not going to cook 60 hotdogs. but i must say reading your blog has been the best one yet in the funny department! loved it. i will read again! you write just like i talk ... well at least the way it seems to me ... probably not to others. lol.

My 10 year old son would LOVE this! We live in New Zealand where hot dogs are unheard of. Closest they have are "sausages" or "bangers" that taste NOTHING like an American hotdog (probably because it has none of the "scraps" and unknowns in it!) BUT we are heading to the USA shortly so I will have to do this one day for him. Served with a side of chili for chili dogs!

LOL! I never would have thought of this, but it's brilliant--not for everyday use, of course, but in those "OMG what will I serve all these kids" moments it's perfect.

You know, the Trader Joe's uncured basic beef hot dogs don't have all the ucky-evil preservativey chemicals in them and actually taste fairly amazing...still high fat and salt, of course, but way less bad than the regular commercial ones and they only have like 7 ingredients. :-) They make me like hot dogs again. (With homemade pickle relish. Yummm.)

Wonder if bratwurst would work like this too? More of a challenge in a way because they have to also cook in there...I'm in Chicago, that's the "go to" summer gathering food...

I also learned at our children's school that you can also cook the hot dogs ahead of time and prepare them on the bun. Then wrap the hot dogs individually in aluminum foil and put them in the crockpot (no water), cover and turn the crockpot on warm. I know you can't have too many in there but it's useful.

btw, yes, hot dogs are technically cooked in the package BUT they can carry a nasty bacteria called Listeria which can make people really sick so it is a good idea to cook hot dogs prior to serving, not just warm them up

I did this 2 yrs ago for my 6 yr old's birthday party which had a circus/fairground theme! I didn't have so many, and I kept them in the juice, but I served them out with barbecue tongs and I felt like a total professional! Wouldn't have thought of packing them vertically, that's a great idea!

For a really large crowd you can cook the hot dogs, place in bun and wrap in foil, place a heating pad in the bottom of a cooler and turn to low. Place all wrapped hot dogs in cooler. Amazing how many hot dogs you can get in the cooler. Great money making idea at the concession stand!

LMAO!!! This hilarious post reminded me of the late Erma Bombeck. But I'm going to stuff my crock pot with dogs the next time husband has a crowd of guys in his Man Cave (aka big garage). I know THEY won't mind being thirsty for three days afterwards because they'll just keep drinking beer.

Such perfect timing for this! I had a huge party for my daughter's bday and did the hot dogs in the crock....OMG I can't believe it! They were awesome, and more importantly, NOT water logged! Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Hahahaha! My goodness, I love this post. I actually "tuned in" today to tell you I made your Chinese Lemon Chicken yesterday, with one "tweak": during the last hour I added chunked zukes & yellow squash -- Delish! And I didn't have to cook a separate veggie (but I did have to cook rice). This one's a keeper.

I so do love the things you post and share! Especially since I had the same idea last year at my 5 yr old's Cowgirl Birthday party! Except, I thought I would need water - so I did use water and dump in all the hotdogs in the crock-pot. It was delightful and so super easy to have just hot hotdogs for all party members and I didn't have to worry about a hotdog getting cold! Or boiling them all in the house while the party was going on outside! Thanks for sharing that I don't need the water though! And 60! That's a lot of hot dogs!

I'm intrigued by this, and totally want to try it for a summer BBQ so that we don't have to stand there grilling hot dogs all day. Now we just have to find 60 friends that are willing to come to our house for hot dogs!

Here's a trick I learned to warm up the buns. Right before serving, place hot dogs in bun and put them into the wrapper. The heat from the hot dog steams the bun! Thanks for your website. I have your first book and I love your recipes. Happp almost summer to you too!

Surfing the web to find out how to cook hotdogs for a crowd because I am "planning an end-of-the-year swim party for the 5th grade graduating class" AND that is the first line of the post!! I looked over my shoulder to see if someone was watching me! Thanks so much - will be making them Friday.

Tonight is our Luau with about 50 hungry square dancers, (yep, square dancers have luaus,) and I plan to pack my crockpot with dogs!!!! Thank you so much for delightful (and funny) idea! Our problem will be with a hunfry beagle who will be searching for the hot dog wrapping!

Thisis a great idea! I never cooked dogs in a crockpot..I am thinking for the annual school fair it would be a great idea, as well as out blockparty when kids from all over the block show up at all different times to eat. Thank you!

Thanks for your post. We as parents here in Indiana cook for our little middle school and high school football players on certain days of the week (I got a boy in each one). Well Thursday the team mom said she is making chili so Im trying to get hotdogs done for chili dogs. Problem I work 8:30 to 5pm and have to have the food there by no later than 5:30 yup will be using the crock pot! thanks!

I will be using this idea for my 7 year old's birthday party next month. Tyree mentioned beer in the crock, and that made me smile because that's what we do to keep our burgers hot. One can/bottle of beer of choice, one whole onion (chopped), some minced garlic, and a splash of honey (optional). When the burgers are ready off the grill, throw them in the crock of beer and it keeps them hot, and infuses awesome flavor! Even my kids like the flavor (ages 7 and 4) **Obviously the alcohol is cooked out of it!** (I know someone, somewhere, will comment back in regards to serving alcohol to young children lol!)

Hello. I have a 18 lb turkey roaster. Can I use this as you would a crock pot? If so, what temp settings (no high/low) and for how long? I am cooking about 150 hot dogs for our teachers tomorrow!! THANKS!!!

I've been racking my brain for something to bring to our annual block party. I wanted to make hot dogs, and was going to boil them and keep them warm in the Crock Pot. Found your idea, so I'm going to do them totally in the Crock Pot. I'm sure the kids there will be thankful--those covered dish casseroles usually don't appeal to them.

I guess I crammed in too many hot dogs. When we went to get them, they were all swollen and could not come out without me digging about 5-10 out in pieces. Be aware, hot dogs swell a bit when they cook.

Hi Stef! I didn't want to make THAT many, maybe 30-40 or so, so I stuck a microwave safe bowl in the middle of the crock pot to take up some of the space and surrounded that bowl with the hotdogs. Used the bowl to warm up some chili for the dogs. It all came out great!

Funniest blog, e-ver! Thank you! Planning my Family Reunion, Labor Day weekend 2015. I have a room at a park, and trying to figure out how to cook the hot dogs without the typical outdoor grill. This is a great idea - i'm excited! Thank you thank you thank you!Beckie

Had some difficulty getting the hot dogs to cook fast enough. We were cooking 200 hot dogs for a church supper. I actually heard about this tip from a former co-worker and was looking up how long the hot dogs would need to cook before serving. Freaked out when I read it was 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. The hot dogs were still partially frozen so my fingers were crossed when I crammed them into the crock pot. After an hour, the hot dogs were still frozen so we had to resort to the dreaded hot water boil, and then we put them back in the crock pot. I guess if we try this again, at least I will know that the hot dogs need to be completely thawed before putting them in the crock to cook. Also, would start them cooking earlier so there was no panic close to serving time Worth giving it another try!

Hi Anon, great feedback. I agree that if you are only cooking for two people that the crockpot method probably doesn't make sense.Crockpots work the best when they are 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. I hope this helps a bit and thank you for letting me know your experience!!

Going to try the crock-pot method for our concessions stand...thanks! And for the 'anonymous' poster above, chill out! To see one negative (and frankly, stupid) comment after all of the positive responses, you just know that person is a perennial complainer. What did you expect? This method is for a 'crapload' of hotdogs - not two pathetic hotdogs swimming around in a huge crockpot. Do you boil water for a cup of tea in an 8-gallon stockpot? Jeez.... some people